Layla
by 1980s-popito
Summary: "Layla, you've got me on my knees. Layla, I'm begging, darling, please. Layla, darling, won't you ease my worried mind?" -Eric Clapton, the 1971 song Layla. (rated t just in case.) (spinoff/sequel of my story "Loyalty"- you do not need to read it, but I suggest it.)
1. Monday, Monday

_**Layla. Chapter One: "Monday, Monday"**_

"What'll you do when you get lonely?

And nobody's waiting by your side?

You've been running and hiding much too long.

You know it's just your foolish pride.

Layla, you've got me on my knees.

Layla, I'm begging, darling, please.

Layla, darling, won't you ease my worried mind?

I tried to give you consolation,

When your old man had let you down.

Like a fool, I fell in love with you.

You've turned my whole world upside down.

Layla, you've got me on my knees.

Layla, I'm begging, darling, please.

Layla, darling, won't you ease my worried mind?

Let's make the best of the situation,

Before I finally go insane.

Please don't say, we'll never find a way,

And tell me all my love's in vain.

Layla, you've got me on my knees.

Layla, I'm begging, darling, please.

Layla, darling, won't you ease my worried mind?"

Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominos), "Layla" from the 1971 album, _Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs"_

-/-/-

 _ **1986.**_

"Layla Estelle Randle!" Evie called to the second floor of the house, "If you're not down here in five minutes, you're going to be late!"

Layla rolled her eyes and leaned out from the doorway of her bedroom. "I just gotta finish combing my hair, Mom!" she called back, "I'll be down in a minute!"

Layla ran her comb through her jet black hair a few more times, then set the comb down on her dresser once she was done. She stood in front of her floor length mirror, taking one last final look over her appearance. After checking her appearance, she established the she looked pretty good in her choice of outfit. She then grabbed for her school bag as well as her smaller personal bag, then left her bedroom and headed down the stairway to the first floor of the house.

"Finally," Bella breathed out as her older sister entered the first floor.

Layla rolled her eyes. "You know," she began, "I don't _have_ to give you a ride to school."

"Yes, you do," their father- Steve- commented, "We agreed that, if you got a car, you'd help with the drivin' around here, since you're the oldest."

Layla internally groaned. "Why can't you or Mom drive her?"

"Cause your mom drives Steven to school on her way to the high school, and I drive Violet. So- you either take Bella, Steven or Violet. I suggest Bella, since that takes less time for you- so take your pick."

"Alright," Layla sighed, "Bella, go get in the car. But I pick the radio station or cassette!"

Bella shrugged. "As long as it's not Billy Idol, I don't care," she said and walked out of the house.

-/-/-

Layla and Bella got out from the older of the two sister's car, locking the doors behind them. The two sisters waved goodbye to each other as they walked off to their own usual routes. They didn't usually see each other during the school day- with the exception of their lunch period and in the halls between classes, and during physical education- so they always talked together on the way to and from school, usually ignoring whatever little "spat" they may have had previously.

Cause even the thought the two didn't always get along, they were still the closest in age of the four Randle children, and they were sisters.

Layla walked up the steps and into the school building. As she made her way through the halls, she gave small greetings and acknowledgements to those she knew who passed her. These people were not close friends of hers, but people she'd known over the years from different classes and sports teams. Instead of meeting up with her friends on her way to her locker, they all met up at her locker or near her locker. She was usually the last of the group to arrive, so it was just easier for them all.

"Layla," a familiar voice called out, "You've got me on my knees!"

Layla rolled her eyes and turned to face her friends. "You know I hate when people do that," she informed tiredly.

Her friend- Thomas, who went by Tommy- gave an odd look. "Why do you think I do it?" he shrugged.

Layla had six friends that she hung out with. In the group of seven teenagers, including her, there were four guys and three girls. They were a very diverse group of young people, all different from one another in multiple ways. While there were certain things they all did that some of them had in common, there were still many things that were different about them all.

First, there was Thomas O'Brien, when went by the name "Tommy". His hair was platinum blonde, and actually his natural color, rather than how most would dye it that color. His eyes were a bright, light blue color that matched his hair color and complexion. He was tall and thin, but now scrawny, but rather was pretty well built. He was aware of how all these features made him attractive, and was even a little vein about them at times.

Second, there was Connor Jones. He was very average and didn't attract too much attention. He had brown hair, with big brown eyes to match. He was average height for a guy, average weight and an average build. There was not particular or outstanding feature in appearance on him, and he just didn't stand out in a crowd. This was part of the reason the group of friends came in contact with him- no one had really noticed him during one major day in school, and they felt bad, so they called him over. He was very kind, but also a bit shy.

Then there was Russel Jacobson, who went by the name "Rusty". He had hazel eyes and tussled strawberry blonde hair. He was tall- which made sense, since he was the star of the boys basketball team- but not taller than his blonde friend. He was known throughout the entire high school, but he was humble. It was not hard for him to be known and popular, but ironically, he didn't care about popularity. A lot of people envied his group of friends, since they were so close with him, but they envied them in silence.

There was also Beckett Carson, who went by "Beck". His eyes were a mix of brown and green, which went with his dirty blonde hair. All of the girls in school had a firm belief that he had the best hair in the entire school, and he probably did. He was skinny with a medium frame, and about the same height as his friend who played basketball. He didn't really care much about appearance, despite his incredibly good looks. He was also known throughout the school- mostly by the girls. He was three-fourth's Hispanic, but due to his father's father- his grandfather- he didn't have a last name to match the majority of his heritage.

Then there was Margaret Sullivan, who went by the name of "Maggie". She had curly red hair and bright green eyes. She was average height for a female, had a small frame and was slim. Her raid hair was in wavy curls, rather than untamed curly q's, and it always fell in front of her face. This was intentional, considering she was incredibly and unbelievably shy- until you got to know her and she got comfortable with you- and she used it to hide her face. She was originally born in Ireland, but moved to America when she was five years old; for this reason, she only had a slight accent when saying certain words.

Next was Carter Erickson. She had big brown eyes and wavy dark brown hair. Her skin was not too light, but not too dark, due to her parents being a mixed racial couple. Her hair would usually have different colors throughout the edges or layers, usually a very loud color- except for her roots, since she didn't want to kill her hair. Even with that, she never dyed her whole head so that she could still show off her naturally dark hair with natural red highlights. She was the shortest of the group with a frame right in between small and medium, and a slim figure. She was very artistic and talented in all different forms of the creative arts- acting, singing, instrumentals, writing, drawing, all that stuff and more.

And finally, there was Layla Randle, with her bright green eyes and straight jet black hair. She wasn't short, but she wasn't tall either. She had a frame somewhere between small and medium, but more leaning toward medium. Her features were all inherited from her mother, making her the spitting image of her mother. She didn't mind this, though, cause she thought her mother was a pretty good looking girl when she was younger, and still did look good. Her personality, though, was a mix from both of her parents, depending on the situation at hand.

"You ready to go to homeroom?" Maggie asked.

Layla thought for a moment. "Let me think," she drawled, "It's Monday, so- _no._ "

"You're _never_ for homeroom," Connor teased.

"She's not the only one," Carter yawned.

"I second that," Beck interjected.

Rusty gave a confused look at each of his friends. "Am I the only one who's ready for class?" he asked oddly.

"Yes," Tommy confirmed tiredly.

The group all then headed to homeroom just as the bell rang.

 **Hi there! So, this is the unofficial sequel/spinoff to my outsiders fanfic,** _ **Loyalty**_ **. If you read that story, you probably remember Steve and Evie's daughter Layla, who they had when only eighteen years old. You probably remember that they kept the baby, and decided to get married. Well, this is the story about their daughter who was born during that story, Layla, now that she's eighteen years old and on the verge of adulthood. She will go through the struggles of most teenage angst, including relationships- both romantic and friends- college, graduation, etc. She will also be dealing with problems that have resulted from the once common rivalry between Socs and greasers, but you'll get into that later on.**

 **You do not necessarily have to read** _ **Loyalty**_ **to read this story, but it is recommended, since that's where Layla starts out.**

 **Certain parts of this story will be loosely based off the Eric Clapton song, "Layla", which you first read. When I named Layla when writing** _ **Loyalty**_ **, I had music choice classic rock on, and that song began, which gave me the name for her. She was born in 1968, so the song was not released, but this story will take place 1986 into 1987, so the song was out since it was released in 1971.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter, and the story in general, and stick around! The story will be updated every two to four weeks- two weeks being the shortest amount, four weeks being the longest wait, it has certain dependents. Peace from all the hippies of the world! (get used to that, since I sign off every author's note with it) =^-^=**


	2. Turn The Page

_**Layla. Chapter Two: "Turn The Page"**_

 _ **1986.**_

The group of friends all met back together at lunch. Some of them had a few classes together throughout the morning and afternoon, aside from lunch and gym class. Since they all had different interest, they had a few different electives. Then after school, some of them had a few clubs and extracurricular activities that would prohibit a few from hanging out every day right after school ended like most students did.

"You led me away from home," Tommy sang as he approached their usual table, "Just to save me from being alone. You stole my soul, and that's a pain I could do without."

"I love how he only does that for you and Layla," Carter commented to her friend with the name of a popular Rod Stewart song.

Tommy shrugged his shoulders as he sat down. "Find me a song talkin' 'bout a girl named Carter, and I'll be off."

Carter shook her head. "No thanks, I'm good."

"You must admit," Rusty tried, "Carter's not the most common name for a girl."

She thought for a moment. "That's true."

"But you're a musician," Layla tried, "You should know this stuff on your own."

"Agreed," Beck interjected quickly.

Connor gave a face. "Not necessarily," he argued.

"Why not?" Rusty questioned.

Connor shrugged. "He likes rock music, and very rare rock musicians play real music. Nowadays, at least."

Tommy looked insulted. "I'd rather you _not_ talk badly about rock music, thank you very much," he snapped.

"Frank Zappa does," Carter defended, ignoring the blond musician's comment.

"So does the band Genesis," Maggie added in.

Tommy had a habit of incorporating song lyrics into his everyday life. Since he was a major musician, who knew everything there was to know about past and present musicians, as well as music theory and instrumental and vocals, it just came natural to him. There didn't seem to be a song or a musician that he didn't know. When he didn't use some kind of music reference in his usual speech, that's when the group of friends knew something was wrong with him- or that when he only talk using song references, he was _extremely_ nervous about something.

Layla really didn't mind when he'd sing the 1971 song with a title the same as her name. Sure, there were times when she thought it was lame or just downright corny- but otherwise, she didn't really mind. She knew that he knew that she didn't always mind when he did it, and she felt that was the exact reason why he did it so much. If that was the case, it was a good thing she didn't mind.

At some point, there had been a "thing" between Layla and Tommy. When they were sixteen, neither of them had dates for the dance that was going to happen at school, so they decided to go together. As the night progressed on, they had developed slightly feelings for each other- and even shared a kiss. The two eventually decided to move past it all, and just be friends, as not to destroy their great friendship that had lasted for so many years.

"They're both good," Tommy agreed, "And even Phil Collins on his own."

"I prefer Peter Gabriel," Rusty shrugged.

"How 'bout this," Beck began, "Genesis when Peter Gabriel was the lead singer, or Genesis while Phil Collins is the lead singer?"

There was silence for a moment. "Phil Collins," everyone agreed simultaneously.

-/-/-

Layla leaned her head on her first as she looked down at the book in front of her. She then moved her field of vision to the right so that she was looking at her notebook where her homework was. Her current task at hand was to answer the questions at the end of the assigned Earth Science lesson, writing her answers down in her notebook. Once she finished that, she still had to write her British Literature answers and vocabulary words, answer her Business Math questions, and answer her American Government questions.

It was one of those times that she was thankful she had a study hall that lasted for two class periods.

Layla jumped slightly in her seat when a folded up piece of paper landed on her desk. She looked around the quiet room, hoping her sing of alarm didn't attract any kind of attention from other students or the teacher. Once she saw that it didn't, she looked to the right, the direction in which the note had come from. When she looked, she saw Tommy trying to mouth to her to open the note. She picked up the folded piece of paper, gave him a questioning look, and quietly unfolded the piece of notebook paper when he nodded at her.

" _Do you understand the British Lit work?"_ Tommy had questioned her in writing.

Layla took out her pen from her notebook and wrote back, _"I haven't done it yet. I did in class. Why?"_ She handed him back the piece of paper, never take her eyes off the teacher at the front of the room.

He wrote down his answer and handed the paper back to her. _"Can you help me with it?"_

" _Not right now! We'll get in trouble!"_

" _Of course not right now! I hate detention, especially with this clown in charge. I meant after school or something. If you could tutor me."_

" _You gonna pay me?"_ Layla wrote back, smirking to herself a bit.

She could see Tommy roll his eyes. _"I can buy you that cookie bag or whatever the hell it is you get at lunch everyday."_

She thought for a moment. _"That and we tutor at my house."_

" _Deal."_

" _Then fine. Come over my house at 7pm tonight. And make sure the rest of your homework is DONE,"_ Layla wrote back, underlining the word 'done'.

" _You got it,_ " Tommy wrote back to her, including a playful winking face after it.

-/-/-

Once the school day was over, Layla went to go and find her sister, then drove home to the former "Greaser Territory" of Tulsa. The East and West Sides of Tulsa weren't really considering greaser and Soc territory anymore. Both sides were now the rich and poor ends, and more of a result of the former rivalry that had been more prominent in the mid to late 1960s. The rivalry had eventually died down, and the rivalry that had come of it was now more of a personal thing, and the way of life people from both sides led on and what they did.

Layla turned her car into the driveway of her house, right behind her father's car. As she and her younger sister got out from the car, their father was just getting out from his own car with their two younger siblings. The two youngest of the Randle family went to greet their two older siblings, then ran past them and their father into the house.

"Hey, Dad," Layla began as they walked toward the house, "It's cool if Tommy comes over later, right?"

Steve shrugged. "Depends on when and why?" he asked.

"I told him at seven, and for tutoring in British Literature."

The elder thought for a moment. "I guess it's alright, then. As long as you two know the rules."

"Let's see," she thought aloud, "No locking my bedroom door?"

"That… and?"

"Don't do anythin' we'd regret or be embarrassed to tell anyone 'bout?"

Steve smiled and kissed his oldest child's forehead. "That's my girl," he said proudly.

 **Woot woot, chapter two of "Layla". Who's happy about that? I am. I don't know who is and who is actually reading this, since it's not officially an outsiders fanfiction (yet, anyway), and more a result of one, but I think it's pretty nice. Don't worry, characters from the outsiders and plots from my story "Loyalty" will show up soon enough. The next chapter actually starts out with Steve and Evie.**

 **By the way, if you prefer Genesis when Peter Gabriel was the lead singer, that's fine. I just prefer when Phil Collins became the lead singer when Peter Gabriel left to pursue a solo career. And to be honest, Phil Collins is in my top three favorite singers (right there with Adam Ant and Elvis Presley). And also, if you don't know who Frank Zappa is- what're you doing with your life?**

 **Just kidding. But seriously, look up Frank Zappa if you don't know who he is. I suggest listening to songs like "Po-Jama People" or "Inca Roads" or "Cheapness" or "Sofa No. 2". Or just look up the songs on the "One Size Fits All" album in general.**

 **Anyway, next chapter should be up in about two to four weeks- no earlier, no later. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Peace from all the hippies of the world. =^-^=**


	3. She's A Beauty

_**Layla. Chapter Three:**_ _ **"She's A Beauty"**_

 _ **1986.**_

"There's nothin' goin' on between Layla and her friend Tommy, right?" Steve asked skeptically.

Evie gave him a strange look. "Not as far as I know," she shrugged, "Why?"

"Cause he's coming over later and they're gonna be up in her room alone."

Evie rolled her eyes. "Come on, Steve. They're just close friends. And besides, she knows the rules about guys in her room."

Evie knew that Steve always worried about those sorts of things, especially when it involved their daughters. Considering part of the reason they got married so young- aside from the fact that they really did love each other- they didn't want the same thing to happen to any of their three girls. Evie knew she was lucky when he said they he'd stay with her back in 19689, but she knew that not all people in their situation were as lucky as she had been.

Evie knew that Steve trusted their girls. That was a definite. It was the guys he didn't really seem to always trust. She believed that he didn't trust guys cause he was just like them once- or so he claimed that was the reasons. She tried to explain to him that guys weren't the only ones with the possibility of sex in a relationship on their minds, and that it's usually the girl who decides in the relationship if, when and where they'll have sex. He just changed the subject, though, saying he didn't want to think about the possibility of any of his daughters "doing that".

"Steve," Evie said gently, "You can trust Layla. And you can trust Tommy. And just for the record, you can trust Beck, Connor, and Rusty. And I'm pretty sure you can trust Maggie and Carter, too."

Steve let out a slight chuckle. "Alright," he caved in, "But I get to check on them once every half hour."

"Hour."

"Deal."

"If you must," she laughed, "Then fine."

-/-/-

The doorbell chime ran through the entire house, allowing all those inside to hear it. "I'll get it," the second oldest of the four children called through the house. She jogged to the front door, ignoring her older sister's protests coming from the stairway and second floor. Another yell was heard, this one from the two girls' mother, asking who was at the door. All the while, their guest who waited outside could hear all the yelling, and he couldn't help but laugh at the possible antics going on inside the Randle house.

Bella finally opened the door, revealing their chuckling guest. "Hey, Tommy," she greeted.

"Hey, Bella," Tommy managed to get out though his laughter, "Everythin' alright in there?"

Layla appeared in the doorway, a bit out of breath. "Yeah," she answered, "That yelling was me trying to tell Bella that I'd open the door.

Tommy gave an amused smile. "I guess she didn't listen."

"Obviously," the two Randle sisters said in unison- one in an annoyed tone, the other proud of herself.

"Yeah, you two are definitely related."

Tommy followed the two Randle girl into the house, closing the door behind them. The younger of the two sisters bid goodbye to their guest, then went up to the second floor to the older sister's bedroom. Once her sister was gone, Layla led her guest up to her room so they could study. ON the way there, the two friends greeted the two adults of the house, then went to her room. They left the door ajar once they were inside, going along with the rules that had been established multiple times.

"I really appreciate this, Layla," tommy said genuinely as he took out his books.

Layla pulled her textbooks from her school bag. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she blew off teasingly, "Just don't expect this for every class. This is just for the fact that you don't get British Lit, and you're my friend, so I want you to pass so you can graduate."

"Not everyone can be a straight A student like you, Layla."

She internally groaned at his statement. "Yeah, I guess…"

He gave a questioning look. "You don't seem too proud 'bout that."

"I am, but everyone 'round me talks about it. It's almost like that's how some people define me."

Layla was proud of the fact that she had straight A's in school, and was in some honor and AP classes- but she was humble. She didn't go around bragging about it to everyone. It would come up every so often, and she wouldn't deny the fact that she had straight A's, but she wouldn't go on and on about it. She didn't like when people did that, and didn't like when she was pointed out or called out for it, either. She was just humble about it, and when pointed out from a crowd, she was embarrassed by it.

Tommy scoffed lightly. "Oh, come on, Layla," he tried, "People don't define you by your grades."

"Some people do," Layla countered.

"Like who?"

She thought for a moment. "Well, out teachers, the principal, and a lot of the students."

He shook his head. "Oh, they don't count. I meant of the people who hang out with you."

"Like you?"

"Like me?"

Layla thought for a moment. "Well, I don't know. How do _you_ define me then?" she asked cautiously.

Tommy thought carefully for a moment, then chuckled. "One of the ways I define you is as my first kiss," he laughed.

That made her smile. "That summer we were all fourteen and went to camp, right?"

"You bet."

In the summer of 1982, the group of seven friends all went to summer camp together. There was a five week long camping trip that practically every kid in Oklahoma wanted to go to that summer. The location of the camp was Arcadia Lake, about an hour and a half to two hours away from Tulsa. Most of the kids who went were within a two hour radius from the beach, so practically everyone who had gone to camp that summer knew each other.

The group of seven kids were seven out of fifty-three kids from Tulsa that went. One night, around the campfire on the beach, they'd gotten into a game of truth or dare with seven other kids their age. Tommy had been challenged by one of the other seven kids they'd befriended that summer to choose truth or dare, and he chose dare. The kid thought for a moment, then smirked when he challenged the blond to kiss Layla. No one thought they'd both agree to it, but they did. It cause a never-ending line of wisecracks from their friends, especially when they got a bit older and went to the dance at school together.

"At least it was you and not that guy from Norman," Layla chuckled, "Hell, if I kissed him, our braces probably would've gotten caught together."

"I remember when you had braces," Tommy smirked, remembering that time, "I thought that they made you look real cute. Innocent, too, though."

"Well, how 'bout now?" She was half-joking, half-serious as she asked him her question.

He was silent for a moment, looking down at the ground a bit nervously. "Well, now," he stuttered, "I think you're real pretty." His tone was completely serious, a rare thing to happen.

Layla was taken back by his answer. She couldn't really tell if she was flattered by his answer, or nervous- actually, she knew it was both that she was feeling. She knew it was both by the way her heart pounded in her chest, the way her stomach did flip-flops, and the way her hands tingled. Instead of a specific answer to his statement, she decided to change the subject entirely.

"So, uh," she stuttered, "What didn't you get in British Literature?"

And with that, nothing else was said about their previous discussion the rest of the night.

 **Woot woot, chapter three. What do you think of Tommy and Layla already? What did you think of Steve and Evie being there? Cause they're gonna show up in another chapter or two soon, along with Soda and Cherry. So get ready whether you like it or not.**

 **Next update is in two to four weeks- no less, no more. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and peace from all the hippies of the world. =^-^=**


	4. Got My Mind Set On You

_**Layla. Chapter Four: "Got My Mind Set On You".**_

 _ **1986.**_

The next day, Layla rushed to school as fast as she possibly could. Instead of going to her own locker, she went straight to Rusty's locker. She knew that he always got to school a little over thirty minutes before first period, so- unless he was absent, which was a rare thing to happen- she knew that he would definitely be there. And she knew that she could trust his opinion, since she knew that he would give a real answer to her question, as well as an unbiased answer, since she knew he had his eyes set on someone else.

Layla spotted Rusty at his locker and quickly began to run to him. He jumped up a bit in surprise at her sudden appearance, but relaxed when he saw that it was just her. He greeted her happily and shut his locker as they began to walk together though the school hallways.

"You seem in a rush today," Rust commented with a chuckle, "What's that all about?"

"I need your honest and genuine opinion," Layla requested seriously.

"Yeah, sure. What about?"

"Ok, don't take this the wrong way, but… do you think I'm pretty?"

"Course I do. You're a pretty girl."

"Do you think I'm attractive?"

"Sure, I do. You're an attractive girl, Layla."

" _Why_ am I attractive?"

"Well… your eyes are really bright and kind, and somehow match your hair. And you're real nice to practically everyone," Rusty listed off, "Why? What's up with all these self-esteem questions? You alright?"

"Just somethin' Tommy said while we were studying last night," Layla breathed out.

Hearing Rusty's answers did relieve her nerves- they also flattered her a bit. Ever since Tommy had said that she was pretty, Layla had been on edge. It wasn't the mere fact that he'd said that she was pretty- it was _how_ he said it. He'd quickly gone from goofy and funny, to serious and genuine. It scared her a little but, or at least made her anxious, considering he was almost _never_ serious about _anything._ But when he got so serious so quickly the night before, she got a little scared. She didn't know how to handle it.

"What'd he say?" Rusty asked with a light shrug, gaining back her attention.

Layla looked up suddenly at him, coming back to attention. "We were talking about the summer at Arcadia Lake," she answered.

He smirked a bit. "Oh, that's when you and Tommy kissed playing truth or dare."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, ya big child. Anyway, we were talking about that, and he mentioned how he thought I looked cute when I had braces. So I asked him what he thinks about me now, and he got all serious and said _'real pretty'_."

"What do you mean he got _serious_?"

"As serious as a damn heart attack, Rusty!"

The whole thing with Tommy had Layla on edge for the rest of the night, as well as the morning. Based off of the past, it wasn't impossible for him to actually _like_ like her, but it scared her. It's not that she was afraid of him, but rather that she was afraid to have a romantic relationship with such a close friend of hers. She was afraid of the repercussions of dating someone in a group of such close friends. It was a dangerous scenario, and a definite threat to all of the friendships involved if something went wrong.

 _Why am I thinking about dating him?!_ Layla thought nervously, _I don't even know if he actually likes me!_ She felt like she was eleven years old again, completely naïve in the ways of love. It made her think of when she was thirteen years old; she was still naïve when it came to romantic love- but she knew more about it than when she was eleven. She then remembered how her mother had given her _"the talk"_ the fall after she turned thirteen. By the age of fourteen, she knew about dating and love and sex, but she'd never experienced anything involved with those herself yet. Sure, she'd gone on dates, had her first kiss- but had never been _in love_ before. This whole situation made her feel like this all over again, and she didn't like it.

"I mean," Layla breathed out nervously, "If this was some guy from one of my classes, then fine. But it's not! This is one of my best friends! I mean, when the seven of us were kids, and we'd all have sleepovers, me and Tommy were the ones who stayed up the latest watchin' tapes of movies and shows on the Betamax!"

"You know," Rusty began in a teasing voice, "If you two started goin' out together, it'd be pretty cliché, don't you know?"

She gave a desperate look at her athletic friend. "Rusty, this is serious!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Look, Layla, you're getting a bit ahead of yourself with all a' this. You know how Tommy is- when he likes a girl, he makes it pretty obvious. He's a ladies man, or at least he likes to think that he is; he flirts with the girl, he uses cheesy pick-up lines that date all the way back to the Civil War, et cetera, et cetera. You know this. That's just the way he is."

"No offense, Rusty, but what's your point?"

"What I'm sayin' here is that," Rusty began, "If he liked you like that, he'd be all over you, or using one of those corny lines he always uses on girls, or somethin'."

Layla shrugged. "I guess so," she breathed out, "But now I'm all paranoid about it."

"Well, you shouldn't be. I don't think you got a thing to worry about."

"For me not to be paranoid 'bout all this is easier said than done."

Their conversation was cut short when their five other friends walked up to them. Connor and Beck made sure to be _gentlemen_ like their mother's had taught them to be, and made sure to greet Layla before greeting Rusty. Carter and Maggie greeted both of their friends, then began to inform their other female of the group of whatever they'd all been talking about previously and whatever else they could think of. Tommy followed the entire group tiredly, drifting in and out of whatever conversations those around him were having at the present moment.

All Layla could do was take a deep breath and act like she wasn't still panicking about the night before.

-/-/-

At the end of the school day, Layla laced up her black canvas sneakers after changing back into her own clothes after gym class. She stood up and took her school bag and her personal bag, walked over to the mirror in the changing room, and looked over her appearance once more. She walked out from the girls locker room and out to the school hallway. Once in the hall, she could see her friends headed for the door and ran to catch up with him.

"Rusty, Maggie and Connor around?" Layla asked once she approached them.

"Rusty's at basketball practice," Beck informed, "Maggie and Connor are at their clubs."

Tommy looked over at their artistic friend. "I'm shocked you're not in one of those art or drama clubs, or somethin'," he stated.

"Those clubs restrict creativity and try to keep it contained to what the instructor wants," Carter shrugged, "That's why I take _The Arts_ as an elective."

Beck gave a look. "What exactly is _The Arts_ as an elective?"

Carter got serious, which was not unusual when it came to creativity of any kind. " _The Arts_ is an elective that has music, acting, writing, art, dancing, and anything else one can think of when it comes to creativity or creative arts."

"So," Layla began, "What's the difference between that and the individual clubs?"

"Well, in the classes, they limit you with grades and restrictions and rules. You absolutely _cannot_ do that to a true artist, which is the kind of person that takes this elective. In the clubs, you can't really be as expressive as you want, but in _The Arts,_ you can. It's like a club, but it's classified as an art or music class in the school system, but you can be as creative as you want for anythin' creative you wanna do."

"Seems complicated," Tommy decided with a shake of his head and a confused look on his face.

"You just don't get it," Carter shrugged, "I thought you would've as a musician, but whatever."

"Speaking of getting," Layla interrupted, "How 'bout we all _get_ going to Dingo's to _get_ somethin' to eat?"

"Agreed," all those with her declared.

 **Greetings humanoids. How'd you like this chapter? What do you think of Layla and Tommy as a couple?**

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter. I don't usually promote my other stories too much anymore, but maybe check out a small story I'm doing for fun here on fanfiction. Net? It's called "Back In My Arms Again". It's in the Buckaroo Banzai fandom under movies, and you don't have to see the movie, read the book version or read any of the comics to understand anything going on. It's a family, friendship, romance, adventure and even crime-fighting story, so if you're into that, maybe check it out? I get it if you don't want to, the Buckaroo Banzai fandom is a very small one, but just figured I'd throw it out there since I never really advertise my other stories anymore.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter. Next one should be out in two to four weeks, no more no less. Peace from all the hippies of the world. =^-^=**


	5. And You And I

_**Layla. Chapter Five: And You And I.**_

 _ **1986.**_

Dingo's was a rebuilt version of The Dingo. The Dingo had been burned down in a stove fire in the year 1972. The original owner's son had the place rebuilt and completed in 1973, being renamed Dingo's. There were slight changes and improvements made to its appearance and structure, but otherwise, it looked the same as it originally did. It was a Tulsa favorite, not matter what side you were from, and ever after it being rebuilt, it was still a hotspot in the city- especially to the city teenagers, just like it once had.

"It's always pretty cool how your mom worked here," Carter said, looking at her friend with jet black hair.

Layla shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess so," she mumbled, "I think every woman her age worked here at some point."

"Rain Mathews on the radio said she never worked here," Beck commented.

Layla thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, she told me that."

"I think it's pretty cool that you know Rain Mathews from the radio station," Tommy chuckled.

The most popular radio station through the state had two most popular radio DJ's: Andy Brown and Rain Mathews. The two radio DJ's had their times and schedules changed a few times over the years, and were presently on from ten in the morning until three in the afternoon during the week, and eleven in the morning until two in the afternoon on Saturday. People all over the state loved their show and the music playlist they played best. Even people outside of Oklahoma could get their signal in the surrounding states loved their show.

Rain Mathews had come from a troubled home, abused as a child by her father and mother. She eventually moved in with the Curtis brothers- including Layla's "uncle" Sodapop Curtis- once she was of legal age, pressing charges against her parents. Apparently, her parents were guilty of too many other charges and received the death penalty. She'd been friends with the three brothers and their friends for a long time now, all of that somehow bringing them closer once they were older. This was how she knew Layla's parents and their friends.

When Layla's father's friend, Two-Bit Mathews and former girlfriend Kathy broke up- remaining friends- he and Rain started to go out. When she was nineteen and he was in his early twenties, they got married. In a period of ten years, they had three kids together. With the two of them still being friends with Steve and Evie Randle- as well as the rest of their teenage clique- Layla Randle was usually the one who was called for when a babysitter was needed. This always impressed the oldest Randle child's friends, her knowing a state celebrity so well.

"I guess I just don't see it cause I've known her for a long while now," Layla shrugged.

"Probably," Beck agreed.

"Hey," Carter interrupted, "I hate to change the subject, but could I ask you four a favor I need from you guys?"

"Depends on what it is," Tommy answered hesitantly, receiving a light backhand slap on his upper arm from Layla.

Carter rolled her eyes at her blonde friend. "I'm ignoring you right now. Anyway, my Arts teacher asked me to decorate the gym for homecoming."

"Ok," Beck nodded skeptically.

"She also asked me if I could get a few others to help and-"

"No." The other three teenagers present had somehow answered that perfectly in unison.

"Oh, come on, you guys!" Carter groaned, "It won't be that bad! I already got Maggie, Connor and Rusty to agree, so we'd all be together!"

"If you already have them, why do you need us?" Layla asked.

"Cause it'll show that you have school spirit?"

"No," Tommy laughed, holding out the "o" for about one or two seconds.

Beck shrugged a bit, giving her a slightly apologetic look. "Sorry, Carter. Not interested."

Carter looked at the other female present with a hopeful expression. "How 'bout you, Layla?"

"Homecoming's not really my thing," Layla answered with a light shrugged.

"Fine," Carter huffed, "Oh, but did I mention that my teacher said whoever helps out gets extra credit for whatever class their worst grade is in?"

As Carter smirked at them, Layla, Tommy and Beck all exchanged eager looks, then looked back at their creative friend before once again, saying in unison, "We'll do it."

-/-/-

"You gonna go to homecoming?" Tommy asked randomly.

Layla looked up suddenly from her textbook and her spiral notebook, then back down. "Probably," she answered with an annoyed sigh.

He gave her a surprised look. "Seriously?"

"We agreed to help, so we kinda _need_ to go."

He was silent for a moment. "Oh yeah…"

She let out a laugh, trying to hold it in, but failed miserably.

Tommy had gone over to Layla's house again with her for help in British Literature. They were working on the story by William Shakespeare, _Macbeth_. While she- somehow- understood all that was going on and all the was being said in the story, he only understood that the character that the story was named after was killing people after being persuaded by his crazy wife so that he could get closer to the crown and become king. He only knew that Lady Macbeth was freaking out cause of the daggers that Macbeth brought back out after killing the first guy who was king.

"I guess I'm goin' too then," Tommy chuckled.

"We all are," Layla confirmed, "Unfortunately."

"Are you gonna go with someone?"

His question made her tense but she hoped that he didn't notice. "I doubt it. I'll probably hide out in the bleachers all night or by the food table, or somethin'."

"Wanna unofficially go with me?"

Layla's eyes widened and she felt her heart begin to beat a little quicker. "I don't know, Tommy," she stuttered a bit, "I just-"

"It won't be as a date," Tommy clarified, "Just as friends like when we were younger. You don't even have to wear a dress."

"What would I wear, then?"

"You could wear jeans and a Led Zeppelin t-shirt. We can boycott the dresses and tuxedos."

Layla let out a weak chuckle. "I don't know…"

"Ok, how 'bout this: you say yes to go with me. Then we're officially going with each other. If some creep asks you to go with him, now you can say that you got a date and won't be lyin' about it."

She thought this over. "I guess that's true."

Layla really did want to say yes to this offer, she really did. It was appealing to her- since she had to go to homecoming anyway, and she'd rather be going with a friend than with some random guy at school. Not to mention the fact that Tommy had said that she didn't need to wear a dress if they went together. But she couldn't help but overthink the situation and think there might be some hidden intention behind his reasoning.

 _Screw it_ , she thought.

Before she could answr, Tommy got on his knees on the floor in front of her. "Layla," he began to say in a teasing serious voice, "You got me on my knees. Layla, I'm beggin', darlin', please."

Layla couldn't help but laugh as he quoted Eric Clapton, like usual. "Get up, you idiot," she managed to get out through her laughs.

Tommy was laughing with her as he got up off the floor and sat back down on the bed. "So? How 'bout it?"

"Fine, we'll go together. But realize I'm takin' you up on that offer for not wearing a dress."

"It's part of the deal."

 **This chapter was partly a filler. I think it's pretty good as far as fillers go, though. What'd you guys think of me bringing in my character, Rain, into this story? For those who don't know, Rain Mathews was originally Rain Johnson from my fanfic stories: "Before the Love", "To Love A Greaser", and "The Power of Love" (I'm not too proud of "The Power of Love", but the first two I am proud of).**

 **Any thoughts yet on Tommy and Layla? If you couldn't tell, there's gonna be romance between them.**

 **Ok, so in the next chapter, get ready to have a blast from the past, with Steve, Evie, Cherry and Soda- since this is a spinoff from my story "Loyalty", Cherry and Soda are married. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, next update should be in two to four weeks, no more no less. Peace from all the hippies of the world =^-^=**


	6. Something To Talk About

_**Layla. Chapter Six: Something To Talk About.**_

 _ **1986.**_

Steve, Evie, Soda and Cherry all sat in the dining room of the Randle house. They all laughed and talked together as the two Curtis children and the two youngest Randle children ran around playing together in the next room. The second oldest Randle child watched over her two siblings and their friends as they played, and even played a few games with them to keep them entertained; she figured that the four adults might like some time to catch up with each other and _not_ have to deal with their small children for just a few minutes.

"I can't believe how grown up Layla and Bella are," Cherry gushed to her friend, "I remember when you found out you were pregnant."

"I remember the car crash," Evie breathed out, trying to sound light hearted about it.

Steve shook his head. "Don't even talk 'bout that," he said seriously; his wife ran her hand up and down his arm in attempt at comfort.

"I second that," Soda interjected.

Cherry and Evie both nodded. "Either way," Cherry tried, "Things are _way_ different than they were for all of us eighteen years ago."

"Not me," Soda shrugged innocently, "Well, 'cept for the fact that I'm married to you, and that we have two kids."

"And run a business with me," Steve laughed, "Who let us goofballs do that anyhow? Run a business."

Evie slight raised her hand. "That would be me and Cherry," she answered, "And that's only cause we help the two 'a y'all."

Cherry and Evie really were like half of the brains operation for their husband's garage chain; sure it wasn't a _major_ company, but there were garages of theirs in about twenty-five other states in the United States. Even though Evie's main career and job was at her children's high school, she was still majorly involved in the company. While Cherry had a full time job at the company, the two worked together, and with their husbands, to do everything they could to make their company better. And even with that, Soda and Steve still spent most of their time in their original garage, doing repairs like when they were teenagers; they both agreed they couldn't deal with an office more than two times a week.

The four parents turned their heads in the direction of the two voices that were descending down from the stairway. As the two voices got closer to the first floor, they could see the oldest Randle child and a friend of hers descending down the steps and to the front door. They were talking and laughing right up until they said goodbye to one another and her friend left- but something was off. Layla's laugh and happy emotion almost seemed forced and strained a bit… or at least that was how it looked to her parents and her godparents. And they were usually right.

-/-/-

As Layla shut the front door of her home after Tommy walked out, her shoulders lost their tense feeling and slumped down in relief. She lingered at the door for a moment, shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and took a moment to relax her pounding heart and her spinning head. Once she'd- somewhat- gained her composure, she walked away from the door and back to the main interior of the house.

"Did Tommy just leave?" Evie called to her oldest daughter.

Layla entered the room her mother was in and leaned in the doorway. "Yeah," she breathed out, "Yeah, I just walked Tommy out."

Evie nodded. "He always makes me think of that actor who was in that mini series, _North and South_ , last year. Remember it? The one based off the book by, who was it? John Jakes, that's it. But Tommy makes me think of the actor who played Patrick Swayze's cousin."

"Patrick Swayze makes me think of Darry," Cherry chimed in.

"Probably why Marilyn likes Patrick Swayze," Soda laughed; Marilyn was Darry's wife since 1971.

"Yeah," Layla blew off a bit nervously, "Mom? Aunt Cherry? Can I talk to you two for a sec?"

Taking note of the seriousness in the young woman's tone, voice and manner, the two women retreated to the kitchen with her. The two men remained in the dining room, obviously concerned about her- obviously, her mother and father were concerned on a deeper level though. But they'd learned to take things one at a time at this point when dealing with teenagers, so that's why Steve tried to remain as calm as possible while his wife and daughter were in the other room.

"What's the matter, Layla?" Evie asked her oldest child, not hiding the concern in her voice.

"I need some advice," Layla breathed out, then continued when the women nodded, "I've never had to deal with somethin' like this."

"What's up?" Cherry asked.

Layla had never really had boy issues before. The whole scenario of getting romantically involved with a boy- no less a boy who she was very close with- was all new to her. It was a completely foreign topic to her. She figured that, maybe, just maybe, her mother and her mother's best friend- who'd both had relationship problems when they were her age- would be able to help her in one way or another. If anything, she hoped that the two women would at least have some good advice for her that would help her.

"Ok, so you know my friend Tommy?" Layla asked, just for reference.

"The one with the blonde hair who just left?" Cherry tried to clarify.

Layla nodded. "Yeah, him. Well, he just asked me to go to homecomin' with him."

Evie's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You're going to the homecoming dance?" she asked excitedly.

Layla felt her cheeks grow pink with slight embarrassment. "I mean, I agreed to go with him, so I guess I'm goin'."

Cherry looked confused. "You don't seem too sure 'bout that. How come?"

"Well for one thing, he claimed it was so if any freaks ask either of us to go with them, we don't gotta lie and say we got a date. Then he even said I didn't have to wear a dress, and that I could wear jeans and a Led Zeppelin shirt."

Evie and Cherry frowned at her words. "That's it?" Evie asked, a bit disappointed.

Layla felt nervous at her mother's words. "Well, the other day he said that I was pretty. And you know how he's like, never serious?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, he got totally serious when he told me that, _and_ that he thought I was cute when we were younger and I still had braces."

"How big a deal is it that this boy got serious?" Cherry asked curiously.

"Oh, very," Evie answered honestly, "I've known this boy for a really long time, and believe me- very rarely does this boy get serious."

"Yeah," Layla agreed, "And Mom, he got so serious when he told me that the other day that I got scared."

Evie was a little disheartened. Her oldest daughter had never taken any interest at all in romance. It's not that it was a bad thing- but here Layla was at eighteen years old, completely overwhelmed about the whole process and the possibility of romance. At her age, she should've at least had an idea of romance already- but she didn't, and now she was in a complete panic about the situation. She was happy that her daughter was now in a possible romance, but she didn't like seeing her daughter so concerned.

Evie looked at her daughter seriously. "Well, first you need to calm down, Layla," she said, "And you need to realize that it was possible for a guy to like you at some point."

"I knew it was possible," Layla reassured, "I just didn't think that one of my closest and longest friends would like me!"

"Well," Cherry began slowly, "Do _you_ like _him_ too?"

Layla stood quietly for a moment, fidgeting ever so slightly. "Maybe a little bit," she admitted hesitantly and bit down on her bottom lip.

Evie and Cherry's faces lit up as they let out little squeals and giggles of excitement as if they were seventeen again. Layla couldn't help but let out a small laugh of her own at their reactions, despite her own nerves.

 **Hellooooooooooo. How's life peoples? Is it getting warmer where you live like it has for me? I hope so, or at least that you're enjoying your areas weather.**

 **I don't know how many of you got the** _ **North and South**_ **reference I made. Ok, so in 1985, a mini series that lasted six episodes was made called** _ **North and South**_ **, based off the 1982 book by John Jakes with the same title. I based the character of Tommy after the actor's- Lewis Smith- character appearance in the 1984 film** _ **The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Against the Eighth Dimension**_ **. That actor, Lewis Smith, played the character Charles Main in** _ **North and South**_ **, who was the cousin of Orry Main in** _ **North and South**_ **, played by Patrick Swayze. Since Swayze was also in** _ **The Outsiders**_ **movie, I wanted to do a little something. I hope that whole thing made sense.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Next update should be in two to four weeks, no less no more. Peace from all the hippies of the world. =^-^=**


	7. More Than A Feeling

_**Layla. Chapter Seven: "More Than A Feeling".**_

 _ **1986.**_

"I can't believe that you're going to homecoming with Thomas O'Brien," Carter gushed excitedly.

Layla rolled her eyes a bit. "Can we _not_ go on 'bout this?" she requested, "It's not that big a' deal."

Maggie scoffed. "Seriously, Layla?" she let out, "DO you know how long the rest of us have been waitin' for this to happen?"

Carter nodded in agreement. "Just for reference- we've been waiting a _real_ long time now."

Layla had decided that she would tell her two closest female friends about her homecoming "date". Since they were all friends, she figured it would probably be helpful to get their opinions on the scenario. She knew that they would be totally genuine and honest in their responses to the whole thing, taking into consideration they had all known each other too well and for too long now. She knew they'd respond differently than her mother and her mother's best friend, and that they might even have a less of a biased answer and response to her news.

"This is so cliché," Carter laughed, leaning into the beanbag chair she sat in, "I love it."

Maggie smirked as she looked at her artistic friend. "It's like we're fourteen and back at Arcadia Lake," she said smugly, "That was great."

Carter laughed again. "Or prom a few years ago."

"You two are being anything but helpful!" Layla burst out, making the two jump.

This really all was too much for Layla. She was nervous and scared at the inevitable possibility of having a romantic relationship with such a close friend. She'd never been in such a nerve-wracking situation, and she needed real advice on the situation from two of her closest friends. She was a bit angry at how they were taking it and how they weren't being as serious as she needed them to be at the present moment. She was hoping that they would be able to give her some helpful input, but she was beginning to think that she thought wrong.

"I really need your help and you two aren't takin' this seriously at all," Layla complained as she flopped down on her back onto her bed.

Maggie and Carter exchanged sad looks. "You're right," Maggie agreed, "We shouldn't have been foolin' like that."

"Yeah, we're sorry," Carter said sadly.

Layla nodded. "Thanks. And I'm sorry for snappin' like that. I'm just really anxious."

"You know," Maggie began, "I bet Tommy feels a little weird 'bout this too. Just taking into consideration the fact that we're all still friends. Just like you're doin'."

Layla shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know. Why is this all so complicated, anyhow?"

"Cause love is already a pretty scary thing, but when other people like friends are involved, that's a whole other scenario. There's too many dependents for the outcome of the relationship to know what'll happen." Carter stared into space as she spoke, giving an eerie feeling.

Layla and Maggie exchanged side glances with each other, then looked back at their friend. Both of them had facial expressions that yelled, _"What the hell was that about?"_ The two continued to stare blankly at their friend silently, unsure how to respond to all she said and exactly how she said it.

Carter cleared her throat a bit nervously, coming back to reality. "Well, uh," she stuttered, "That's what I'm guessin', anyhow."

Layla's eyes widened. "No!" she gushed, a smile forming her face.

"What?"

"You like someone!" Maggie guessed excitedly.

Carter scoffed lightly. "What? No, I don't like anyone! Not like that. That's insane!"

Layla and Maggie gave unconvinced looks with one another. "Oh, come on, Carter," Layla complained, "I can't remember a time that you had a thing for someone."

"And that's how it's gonna stay," carter shrugged, "At least for now."

Maggie gave a hopeful look. "So you _are_ gonna tell us at _some_ point?"

Carter took a short and quick glances between her two friends, then rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in annoyance as she sighed. "Yes! Fine, damnit! Geez, why're y'all so annoying?"

"Cause we're your friends and we love you."

-/-/-

On the other side of residential Tulsa, Tommy sat at the desk in his bedroom. His record player sat on the chest of drawers against the wall, Billy Idol's voice from the album _Rebel Yell_ belting out from it. He was hunched over his desk, pen in hand as he tried to figure out the notes he took during his Chemistry class on the lesson earlier that day. His eyebrows knit together in confusion as he tried to figure it out. After an hour of pencils, pens, calculators, equations and Billy Idol's voice, he managed to somehow get all of the Chemistry equations and questions correct. He wasn't completely sure if they were all _correct,_ but at least they were done.

As if on cue, as soon as Tommy put his schoolbooks back into his backpack, his bedroom door swung open. When he looked up, he saw the younger of his two kid sisters- Charlotte, or "Charlie"- standing in the doorway. He was very caring and protective of both Charlotte and their middle sibling- Katharine, or "Kat"- and he loved to spend time with both of them. So when he saw her small figure standing in the doorway, he couldn't help but smile at the younger girl.

"Hey, cutie," Tommy greeted the little girl in a cheerful tone, "Come on in."

While Tommy was eighteen years old, both of his sisters were significantly younger than him. His parents were in their mid-twenties when he was born, giving them a good long while to have more kids. It wasn't until he was ten years old that his sister Katharine was born, and thirteen years old when Charlotte was born. Both girls adored their older brother as much as he adored them, and their parents couldn't have been happier about that.

Charlotte smiled and ran to her big brother, her blonde hair- same as his- flying from behind her head. "Hi!" she greeted cheerfully as she climbed onto his lap.

"What're you up to, huh?" Tommy asked, helping her as she climbed and pulled her onto his lap.

"I finished my homework and Mama told me to see if you were done, too. Are you done?"

"I just finished all of my homework, actually. Do you know if Kat finished?"

Charlotte nodded quickly. "Yeah, she'd done, too!"

"Good! How 'bout we all watch a movie then?" Tommy asked, in attempt to make her smile even brighter than she already was.

Charlotte's face lit up at the thought of spending time with her older siblings. She quickly nodded and ran off to find her older sister. Tommy laughed as he got up from his seat and went after the two younger girls, finding them both in the living room already. He informed his mother of their finished homework and intended plans to watch a movie with the two girls before their bed time. Their mother approved and he went to put the VHS of _101 Dalmatians_ into the machine, clicking the play button before joining the two girls on their couch.

As the 1960s Disney cartoon film played, the two girls sat quietly, enjoying the film. On the other hand, Tommy couldn't quite keep his attention on the cartoon- but on something else. Or, more like he kept his mind on _someone_ else.

"Tommy," Charlotte groaned, "You're not watchin'!"

Tommy gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Charlie," he apologized, "I was just thinkin' about something."

"Is it a girl?" Katharine asked eagerly, suddenly forgetting about the movie, "Cause I bet it's a girl."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Actually, Kat, it _is_ a girl?"

Katharine gave a victorious smile. "I knew it! Do we know her?"

"Yes you do. You like her, too."

Charlotte thought for a moment. "Is it Layla?"

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, it's Layla."

"Do you have a crush on her?" Katharine asked.

He was silent for a moment, thinking. "Yeah," he answered surely, "Yeah, I have a crush on Layla."

"Do you wanna hug her and kiss her like Mommy and Daddy do on dates?" Charlotte giggled, making her older sister go into a fit of giggles as well.

Tommy chuckled a bit at her words. "Yeah, I do wanna hug her and kiss her. But, maybe a _bit_ differently than Mommy and Daddy do."

 **Hello. Greetings. Did you like this chapter?**

 **I just wanna say, I don't know when the next update will be. I'll try to have at least one update every month for this story and my other story. It's harder cause I'm working on two stories I'd like to try and get published into real books, like at Barnes and Noble or any book store. Also I'm graduating high school two Saturdays after this new chapter has been published. Also, I'm looking for a job. Not to mention I'm starting college this August, so that'll be fun. And I just got my drivers permit, so there's that. like I said, I'll probably have one update every month, less to do. Sorry.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. And please hang tight. Peace from all the hippies of the world. =^-^=**


	8. Roll With It

_**Layla. Chapter Eight: "Roll Will It".**_

 _ **1986.**_

"Did Layla tell you?" Evie asked her husband.

Steve shook his head, not looking away from his current task at hand. "No," he answered absentmindedly, "What happened?"

Evie smiled as she wiped the tools on the counter with the rag that was in her hand. "She's going to the homecomin' dance at the school."

"What?!" Steve began to shoot up to a straight position, but stopped and let out a yell of pain when he hit his head.

Whenever it came to his daughters and their love lives, Steve was always a bit jumpy. Even when it came to things that involved romance in one way or another, he got nervous. He had never been that way until his oldest child- his oldest daughter, no less- had turned thirteen years old. He figured, based off what he knew from his own teenage years that once one became a teenager- that meant romance. He had always dreaded the day that all that would happen, and thought that he had escaped from it for a while- but now it was all hitting him like a truck, and now all he could do was wait and go with it as the cars crashed and continued to pile up behind that truck.

Evie ran over to her husband as he got out from the car he was under. "You ok, babe?" she asked him urgently.

Steve sat up and rubbed his head with his hand, trying to soothe his discomfort. "Yeah, I think so," he grumbled, "And I thought Layla said she wasn't goin' to that?"

"Well, a boy asked her to go to homecomin' with him and she said year." As she explained this, she got a few ice cubes from the ice chest in their garage, wrapped them in a clean towel and gave it to him.

He accepted it gratefully and held it to his head. "Who's this guy that asked her to go with him?"

"Calm down, Steve. He's a friends of Layla's, so it's not like you don't know him."

"Who. Is. He?"

Evie was hesitant. "It's Tommy Abbott," she answered.

"That boy who she was studying with?" Steve asked in an annoyed tone, "In her room?"

"Ya act like you've never met him before. We've known him _and_ all her other friends for years now. And you know they went to the dance together two years ago."

"Yeah, I know. But they were younger then and it was just cause they were goin' as friends."

"How do you know they're not goin' as friends now, neither?"

"Cause they're older, I don't know!"

Evie couldn't help but roll her eyes at her husband's words. Being the woman of the house, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards he daughters in these situations. She knew that her husband only wanted to keep his daughters safe and happy, but when it came to romance- unless the situation was not good- she'd almost always be on their side when it came to love. She thought that was fair enough, since her husband was obviously against the concept of their girls having a romantic relationship of any kind.

"Steve," Evie scolded lightly, her tone full of the sadness she felt over the situation.

Steve gave a defeated look at his wife. "Evie," he sighed, "I just…"

"She's eighteen years old, Steve. TO be honest, you're lucky to have gotten along this far without havin' to deal with boy Layla _and_ Bella not havin' any guy problems. But trust me, it was bound to happen at some point sooner or later."

"How 'bout later?"

Evie gave him another look. "It is later. C'mon, Steve. You had to expect this at some point."

Of course Steve expected it at some point. Despite his hopes, he knew that the day would come when guys would enter the picture. He loved all his girls- and his son, of course- more than anything else in the world, but this was always the one downside he thought of when it came to having _three_ daughters. This with his son, he had to make that he treated girls with the respect that they deserved, no matter what.

"Course I expected it," Steve shrugged, "But it never really hit me before. But now it's all hittin' me at once."

Evie gave him a sympathetic look again. She knew all of this made her husband anxious, that was no secret. She'd tried to prepare him over the years for this, as not to overwhelm him, hinting at the idea that their girls would start dating and have relationships at some point. She was going off of her own original experiences with her father when she first started going out, as well as stories from friends of hers as a teenagers. She felt bad for her daughter for suddenly having to deal with guy problems, and for her husband for suddenly having to deal with the pressure that came along with having a daughter that was having guy problems.

"Steve," Evie said gently and sat against the car with him, "I know this isn't easy for you. But you gotta realize that it's not easy on Layla right now, either. In fact, it might be harder on her than it is on you. She's never been involved with a boy before. Not like this, anyway."

"I know," Steve sighed and ran his hands over his face, "I'm just nervous. I don't want her to get hurt, ya know?"

"I know. You think I want her to get hurt? Cause I don't. But, we can't help it if things happen with her and tommy and they end up goin' south for the winter."

"And if they do?"

Evie ran her hand up and down his arm in attempt at comfort. "Then we'll be there for her. To comfort her."

"Can I kill Tommy if he hurts Layla?"

She let out a light chuckle. "Sure, babe."

-/-/-

That evening, Layla Randle sat on her bed in her room doing her homework. Both her notebook and her textbooks sat on her crossed legs, her head down as she read the questions and equations in her chemistry textbook. She tapped her pencil back and forth rapidly as she read. Her record player sat on its specified table across the room, the sound of Elvis Presley's voice singing and drawling out from the speakers of the plater; Presley had always been a favorite of hers, right along there with the Doors and Eric Clapton.

As Elvis began to sing _Are You Lonesome Tonight?_ , Layla's bedroom door opened gently. She looked up and saw her father begin to enter her bedroom. He gave her a small but obviously anxious smile in greeting, and she gave him a smile back as he entered the room. She adjusted her position on her bed, placing her books on the comforter, as he pulled her desk chair over an sat down in front of her bed in the backwards facing seat.

"Hey, Layla," Steve greeted as he sat down.

"Hey, Daddy," Layla greeted; she only unconsciously called him _Daddy_ instead of _Dad_ when she was vulnerable, when she was upset, or when she had something heavy on her mind.

He took note of her words and moved closer to her. "You alright, Layla?"

She looked down and let out a heavy sigh. "I don't really know."

"What's the matter?"

"Guy stuff."

"Is it what your mom was tellin' me about?"

Layla gave a questioning look. "What was Mom tellin' you 'bout?"

"'Bout how you're goin' to homecoming with Tommy."

"I'm just overwhelmed, I think," Layla sighed heavily, rubbing her face with her hands.

"What about?" Steve asked, trying to sound as neutral as he possibly could as to be more helpful.

"I don't wanna lose a friend, ya know? I mean, we've been close since we were just kids. If things happen between us and then they fall apart, our whole little group would suffer. And I don't want that, I really don't. I'm not ready for that."

"See, there's your problem."

Layla gave a confused look. "What is?"

"You can't think so negatively about this," Steve said simply, "Things like this are always scary, Layla. But, it's all a part a' life, whether we like it or not. And all we can do is just go with it as best as we can."

Layla nodded, then gave a small smirk. "You tryin' to tell _me_ that, or _yourself?"_

Steve let out a chuckle. "A little bit of both." He held out his arms to her. "Now, come here."

Layla shifted and did as she was told, Steve engulfing his oldest child in a comforting hug. "Thanks, Dad."

He took note of her words again, smiling at the change. "Course, sweetheart."

When they pulled away from the hug, Layla noticed a mark on his head. "Dad," she began awkwardly, "What happened?" She pointed to his head.

Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Don't ask," he said as he got up and started toward the door, "Now back to the homework! Whatever it is you're doin'." She laughed at his words before she did as she was told.

 **Hi there! How are you all? Sorry about the updating process now, but I have a good reason. Updates will only be once a month now at most. If I finish writing a chapter earlier than planned and have time to type, then I will update earlier than this schedule. But, this may not always be the case. Hopefully, next update should be at the end of June (today is the last day of May). But I have a reason for this.**

 **I was just hired as a cashier at Sears, meaning I'll have a summer job (woot woot!). I also start college at the end of August as a freshman, meaning work. I am also currently writing a few stories on Episode Interactive, which takes a while due to coding and choices. I'm also currently writing a book that I wish to bring to a publisher to try and get published in the future.**

 **I am sorry for the updating gaps, but blame life. Anyway. I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope that you'll wait for me to update. Thanks for reading, and peace from all the hippies of the world. =^-^=**


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